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DIY three piece wheel assembly / installation bbs, fikse, ccw, kinesis, etc

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  • DIY three piece wheel assembly / installation bbs, fikse, ccw, kinesis, etc



    Step 1: Make sure all surfaces are clean and free of any old silicone before mating them together. To strip silicone, you first use a razor blade, then a wire brush attachment on a cordless drill or drill press. There are other methods of stripping old silicone, feel free to get creative.

    Step 2: Assemble the wheel. With most three piece wheels, you mate the outer lip and inner barrel together first, then drop the center in from the backside or front side, line up the hardware holes, and put in the hardware by hand.

    Step 3: Torque down the hardware (you may also choose to torque down the hardware at the very end, this helps with not having a bubble form in the silicone). With Fikse and Kinesis wheels, which use relatively small, M6 hardware, torque spec is 15 ft lbs. Fikse should be torqued to 14 ft lbs. Do not over-torque. With wheels that use larger M8 hardware, torque spec is usually around 18 ft lbs. Torque in a star pattern, rather than just one after another in a row. Do not use a cheap, autozone style torque wrench. Borrow a good torque wrench from a friend if you have to.



    Step 4: Lightly scuff up the mating surfaces of the outer lip and inner barrel with scotch-brite or light sandpaper.



    Step 5: Clean the mating surfaces with some rubbing alcohol on a rag, or surface prep.



    Step 6 (optional): Mask off the mating surfaces so that you'll end up with a clean silicone line on the barrel and the lip.





    Step 7: Seal with a non-acid curing, adhesive RTV silicone. Slowly lay down an even bead all the way around, with the angled cut tip of the tube facing down.

    *Note: I buy this stuff by the case, so if any of you guys need a tube of it, just email me. thatcher.shultz@gmail.com *



    Step 8: Carefully smooth the bead with your finger, applying just the right amount of pressure so that it correctly seals the mating surfaces; you want a smooth, even amount of silicone. Make sure you don't have a bubble in the silicone. Often times, a bubble forms because the trapped air has nowhere to go. One way to combat this problem is to not torque down the hardware until after the wheels are sealed & cured. If a bubble forms, just pop it with a razor blade or something sharp laying around, and smooth back over it with your finger.

    Step 9: Remove masking tape before the silicone cures.



    Step 10: Allow at least 24 hours of cure time before mounting a tire.

    Last edited by Thatcher; 11-17-2012, 04:28 PM.
    @Thatcher
    BMW Z3 M coupe
    '93 Defender 90 200tdi . '94 Defender 90 300tdi

    independentwheel.com
    thatcherindustries.com

  • #2
    Nice write up. I have never done this and I want to eventually get nice 3 piece wheels(when I find a job) I'm glad I checked this out because I thought the silicone had to go in between the wheel pieces and not just on the inside like that. Thanks for the information and advice!

    Comment


    • #3
      would be nice to have this stickied.

      those fm5/10's are gorgeous by the way!

      Comment


      • #4
        Great write up! I'll be reassembling my 3 piece Compomotives in a few weeks probably. Any advice on sandwhich mounted wheels except for obviously having to lay two beads?
        slamburglars.com

        Comment


        • #5
          Nothing special about doing a sandwich mount, just lay two beads or one wide bead, try to make it as clean as possible
          @Thatcher
          BMW Z3 M coupe
          '93 Defender 90 200tdi . '94 Defender 90 300tdi

          independentwheel.com
          thatcherindustries.com

          Comment


          • #6
            Very nice, never even thought about masking it like that. I normally just laugh after I am done and look at my "sweet" seal.

            I will definitely be using that technique from now on, thanks for sharing!

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            • #7
              not a problem!
              @Thatcher
              BMW Z3 M coupe
              '93 Defender 90 200tdi . '94 Defender 90 300tdi

              independentwheel.com
              thatcherindustries.com

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Thatcher View Post
                Nothing special about doing a sandwich mount, just lay two beads or one wide bead, try to make it as clean as possible
                Aight. What about the torquing? I hear you can do it not following a star pattern but skip every second bolt (advice came from a guy who owns a top notch MK3 on RSs)...

                Also what color are the centers of the Fikses? Looks great.
                slamburglars.com

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                • #9
                  -nice write up. ive got to learn to disassemble and reassemble my wheels.


                  ive seen that people sometimes put the silicon on the back on the nuts? is that a must a just extra precaution?

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                  • #10
                    Putting silicone on the hardware, or in between the hardware holes where the lip mates with the barrel is not only a waste of time, but creates a huge headache for whoever has to take apart and put the wheel back together.

                    G535 - yes, I suppose you could go around the circle doing every other bolt. What's the point though? That would take just as much time as start pattern. Either way will work. I personally prefer the star pattern
                    @Thatcher
                    BMW Z3 M coupe
                    '93 Defender 90 200tdi . '94 Defender 90 300tdi

                    independentwheel.com
                    thatcherindustries.com

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Awesome writeup!

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                      • #12
                        nice
                        Floccinaucinihilipilification

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                        • #13
                          There should be a sticky on wheel painting.

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                          • #14
                            IIRC when u torque down CCW wheels u do 30ft correct? I think I saw that on their website....

                            great write up btw.
                            04 .:R32DBP jawn on CCWs with a HPA FT450 kit.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              How many coats of sealant do you usually apply? I'm trying to piece back together 17" TH-Lines and I've seen people do 1 coat, and some do 2 coats.

                              Also, if I'm going to do 2 coats, how long should I allow the first coat to dry for before applying?

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